Book Reviews

I must say that this past year produced a truly wonderful assortment of titles and since it's holiday time, I present a collection of a few of the finest photography books of 2003 as my gift to you. I hope you find them to be as inspiring and creatively enlightening as I did.

...

Time flies when you're having fun and this year has been no exception. I certainly enjoyed perusing and reviewing the generous supply of books we've shared with you these past few months. As the year finally comes to an end, I'm happy to offer a brief look at what I consider to be the best photography books of 2005.

Twentieth Century Fox:...

Kevin Kubota is an internationally recognized speaker who has presented programs for every major photographic convention in the US. His Kubota Image Tools have won numerous “Hot One” awards and his Digital Photography Bootcamp workshops, and book by the same name, have been recognized as high energy creative environments in which photographers come away inspired and educated about the great creative potential of their work. In his new book, Kevin Kubota’s Lighting Notebook (2011, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., ISBN: 978-1-118-03510-8), Kubota shares creative lighting techniques that help create mood, define the subject, and give unique dimension to your images. In this excerpt we show but two of the 101 teaching lessons in this handsomely done and fully illustrated 298-page book.—Editor

Each year, Scott Kelby trains thousands of professional photographers during his seminar tours and now he’s taken that incredibly popular style of learning and put it into book form. Among topics covered are step-by-step layouts for creating the most-requested and sought-after lighting looks; the camera settings, gear, and power settings for every shot; retouching techniques the pros really use to make their subjects look their very best; and a host of insider tricks, invaluable shortcuts, and special effects. Kelby’s book is unique in that he combines his myriad skills for a full range of workflow options, from setup to output. (Abridged from liner notes.)

We are pleased to bring you this excerpt from an excellent book that takes it all in-house, from setup to lighting to retouch and output. Time spent with this book is certainly time well spent, as Kelby is that rare photographer/author/Photoshop teacher who brings it all together under one roof.—Editor

Since the first edition of “The Darkroom Cookbook,” there have been an increasing number of photographers who have become interested in alternative processes. The interest has become so great that in 1999 the Photographers’ Formulary, one of the leading providers of photographic chemicals, established a school largely dedicated to teaching alternative processes. Because of the...

Michael Muller’s fantastic photos of sharks are so realistic they look like they are going to jump off the page (or screen) and gobble you up. Fortunately, a limited edition version of his new shark book comes with some added protection: It’s wrapped in its own metal shark cage.

Enhancing photographic color is emotionally similar to painting, in which a painter applies a brushstroke and then reflects, reacts, and responds to the brushstroke by adding complimentary brush strokes. In the process the image grows and changes and gains an identity of its own. In the case of sophisticated color blending, working with layers, masks, and blend modes enables you to experiment...